CHICHESTER
FESTIVAL THEATRE, CHICHESTER SUSSEX
Festival Theatre Reviews
"JUST SO"
It is seldom that
one sees a show that can delight all ages, from the wide-eyed toddler to the
ancient granny. The resident repertory company at Chichester Festival Theatre (CFT)
present a really feel-good rendering of Rudyard Kipling’s "Just So" stories.
With music by George Stiles and book and lyrics by Anthony Lewis they treat us
with great veuve to the tale of the elephant child or "How the Elephant got his
Trunk".
Anthony Drewe, who also directs, has chosen to represent the various animals in
the story as humans who carry the characteristics of that particular animal.
Hence, we have a very elegant, tall girl Alexis Owen-Hobbs – as slow moving and
languorous as the giraffe, a sassy dancer, Akiya Henry, as the zebra and,
perhaps best of all, Nicolas Colicos, as the rhino – hugely cumbersome with
clumsy movements and a stentorian voice.
Among the multiplicity of colourful characters who dazzle us with their diverse
talents – singing, dancing and performing acrobatic feats – I must single out
Ahmet Ahmet who portrays a Parsee trying to run a cake shop without any
ingredients! This young actor possesses a rare charisma – a sort of magical
projection that excites and enthralls his audience. He powerfully emits an
ever-changing range of emotions; and his body language is superb. Even when he’s
performing as part of the chorus he stands out. I hope he has a long and
successful career on the British stage.
The flavour of this Kipling masterpiece which he wrote to amuse his young
daughter is well preserved with proper emphasis on the narrative – in itself an
important feature of the piece. Thus, we can relish mention of such verbal
delights as, for example :"The Great Grey-Green, Greasy Limpopo River".
It’s always fun to have characters flying in a play. In this we were treated to
seeing the Kolokolo Bird, which had never before had the courage to spread her
wings, finally floating over the audience and landing triumphantly on stage.
If ever you want to escape the depressing news of everyday happenings go and
lose yourself for a while in Kipling land.
"OUT OF THIS WORLD"
by Cole Porter
Martin Duncan certainly has a magic touch when it comes to
directing musical theatre. Also, judging by his production of "The
Gondoliers" at last season’s Festival, he loves to set these musicals in
the fifties.
"Out of this World" starts with an explosion of energy on Mount Olympus as
the god, Jupiter, his wife Juno and their fourteen children
lay plans for making mischief on Earth. This all singing, all dancing
gallimaufry of talent assaults the senses with powerful voices, snazzy
footwork and glittering costumes.
The story develops apace as we come down to this planet and see Hollywood
movie star Helen Vance, played by Fiona Dunn, embark on her honeymoon in
Greece with Art O’Malley, a Hollywood screenwriter. Simon Greiff as the
latter has a gift for playing and singing the romantic lead at the same
time sending himself up in an irresistably comic manner. Fiona Dunn, with
her strong soprano voice and glamorous looks, fills the bill perfectly as
his bride.
It gave me enormous pleasure, though, to see Anne Reid given the chance to
take the stage in a big way as the goddess, Juno, who comes down to Earth
as a middle-aged American tourist. This fine actress and singer who many
will remember for long years in "Coronation Street" was given an
opportunity to use her lovely voice and, above all, to display her gift
for comedy. Her timing in such numbers as "Cherry Pies", where she sings
with Darlene Johnson, was hilarious.
The policy of the Festival management at Chichester of not employing big
names in their shows demonstrates what a host of supremely gifted actors
there are just waiting in the wings for their chance. Otherwise, it would
be a case of:-
"…Full many a flower is born to blush unseen,
And waste its sweetness on the desert air".
I truly think the Chichester Festival Theatre has a smash hit on its
hands. Cheer yourself up with this tonic of a show.
"A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM"
by William Shakespeare
As in "Out of This World" we have a play set in Greece. If
you remember, last year we had the first two plays of the Season set in
Venice! The Directors must confer on themes, methinks.
Before I start telling you about this highly intelligent and diverting
production I must make a plea for just a little more scenery. Shakespeare
set his play in a bosky wood near Athens. In the event, we had to endure
an entirely bare stage. Just a few branches, cleverly lit, could have
served to suggest the leafy bower where the Fairies act out their merry
japes; and the ill-starred lovers their heartfelt wooing. Having got that
off my chest, however, I found there was a wonderful understanding of the
text and a richly comic rendering by the Mechanicals, or "Bottom party".
Norma Dumezweni gave an inspiring performance doubling as Hippolyta, Queen
of Amazon, and Titania, Queen of the Fairies. This actress possesses a
magisterial quality well-suited to both parts. Her costumes, too, were
suitably luscious. She must have carried out one of the quickest changes
on record at the end of Act III!
The Fairies - boys and girls – whizzed about the thrust stage as if they’d
been shot by catapults. They wore very brightly coloured tutus and wore
blue wigs. The lovers, especially Akiya Henry as Hermia, who touches the
heart with the unfairness of her plight, provide strong ensemble playing.
John Marquez as Puck gave us a new take on the character by eliminating
any impishness and portraying him as a witty henchman to Oberon, King of
the Fairies.
Director Gale Edwards should be very happy with his production.
The Master and Margarita
Edward Kemp, dramaturg at the
Chichester Festival Theatre (CFT), has adapted a 1940s novel by the Russian,
Mikhail Bulgakov, into a phantasmagoria of a play. I suspect that Director
Steven Pimlott has also played an important part in incorporating vividly
imaginative sequences to this nightmarish dream of a scenario.
This many-layered production starts out by seeming to represent the repressive
regime in Soviet Russia in 1923. The Master, a playwright magnificently
portrayed by Sam West, has written a play based on the story of the Crucifixion.
This is turned down by the theatre in Moscow and, from then onwards, the story
develops into a series of seemingly unrelated and bizarre events. These have the
effect of plunging the audience into a vortex of passionate love, hideous evil
and wild fantasy.
The pace is suitably fast and we are dazzled by the extraordinary spectacles of
magic, cataclysmic sounds and explosive lighting effects on stage. Someone flies
effortlessly across the audience to join the fray as the ceiling of the
auditorium opens to release thousands of paper rouble notes.
Engulfed by the surreal atmosphere of "The Master and Margarita" it is best to
surrender to the whole and let it wash over you. One thing I can guarantee is
that you won’t be bored for an instant.
The resident ensemble of actors at CFT has established a fine reputation. This
performance certainly maintains that. Michael Feast as Woland, a mad professor
alias the Devil, is mesmerising. Clare Holman as Margarita, the Master’s
girlfriend who transposes into a witch, is at times very poignant. I must also
put in a word for Noma Dumezwent who portrays very realistically a sophisticated
cat. It’s not easy to get across much subtlety while you’re wearing a heavy cat
costume yet Noma achieves a remarkable amour of sangfroid, almost getting a
laugh a line.
"The Master and Margarita" altogether pushes out the barrier of conventional
drama. It heightens the senses and leads one’s imagination down hitherto
untrodden routes.
Ann St.Clair-Stannard
NOTE
The Chichester Festival 2004 continues until September 25th.
A permanent ensemble of actors and creative teams will perform eight
productions in repertoire, including two World Premières and two UK
Premières.
Ticket prices have been frozen for the second year in succession. All of
the eight shows can be seen at prices starting at £8 .(Children £4) and
there will be a new Family Ticket for the Family Musical, Rudyard
Kipling’s "Just So".
The other play being performed in the Festival Theatre is "The Master and
Margarita", by Mikhail Bulganov.
At the adjacent Minerva Theatre - "Three Women and a Piano Tuner" by Helen
Cooper, "Seven Doors" by Botho Strauss, "Cruel and Tender" by Martin Crimp
and "Doctor Faustus" by Christopher Marlowe.
For further information call the Chichester Festival Theatre Box Office on
01243 781312